It’s a landscape you would expect to find on Mars. A high Anatolian plateau, guarded at its reaches by a series of extinct volcanoes. A collection of rose-colored valleys and pinnacles of stone, carved by water and wind over millions of years. And entire cities built directly into—and underneath—soft deposits of volcanic rock.
Each year, travel enthusiasts and amateur photographers come together to compete in the mother of all photography competitions—Condé Nast Traveler’s Dream Trip Contest. On the line? A $25,000 dream trip to the destination of your choice. So imagine my thrill and surprise this morning when I woke up to discover that my photograph—taken this summer in Göreme, Turkey—is one of 25 finalists out of more than 17,000 entries.
A few months back, I turned The Long Weekender’s focus to the city of Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire in southeastern Peru. With its rich history, awe-inspiring architecture, and beautiful Andean setting, Cusco has long been an alluring destination in its own right. Yet no adventure through the Sacred Valley of the Incas would be complete without a visit to its crowned jewel, Machu Picchu.
“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is. I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.”
After nearly 50 years as a singer, songwriter, musician, and actress, it’s a difficult task to pinpoint Dolly Parton’s greatest accomplishment. But hidden behind “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors” is her role in a 1986 made-for-television movie, A Smoky Mountain Christmas.
The Long Weekender 